Today is a special day in Pakistan and I expect all over the Muslim world as they celebrate the birthday of their Prophet. All the streets and gullies have been lined with bunting and many of the Mosques and buildings are silhouetted by lights. Last night the boys in our street were playing cricket till long into the early hours of the morning, which created a party atmosphere while they decorated the streets.
Yesterday we visited Irfana’s sister, Shaista’s grave. It brought back memories of 
my last visit there 3 years ago to the funeral of a 12-year-old family member who tragically died in a car accident (we visisted his family today with Zara). I will never forget the outburst of emotion from everyone, which is in stark contrast to any funeral I have attended in England. As I stood in the graveyard It was a strange feeling to be in a Muslim country with crosses all around, yet incredibly peaceful and comforting. Shaista’s grave stood out from all the others as it was so well kept and the writing on the gravestone was very special as it recorded a note she wrote just hours before her death professing her faith and peace about where she was going.
Zara met more of her family today in another part of Lahore.Everyone was delighted to see her and
she was passed around the room so that everyone had a chance to hold her. Tonight we are planning to welcome Irfana’s cousin Samra who will arrive from The US for a holiday. Last year Samra stayed with us in London and we visited The Fawzis in Cairo. Irfana was just a few months pregnant then so Samra will also be meeting Zara for the first time. As we traveled there I took a few pics of the traffic and was struck again by the Pakistani child car/bike seats. See flikr site for more pics
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